THE DEPARTMENT of Social Development and Welfare (DSDW) has suspended 65 senior officials nationwide from active duty to facilitate an investigation into alleged corruption involving hundreds of millions of baht of state welfare funds.

Bread and circuses kept the people happy and distracted in the twilight of the Roman Republic just before the rise of the Roman Empire. In today’s India there’s plenty of fun and games to distract people even if bread for the needy is drying up because of a new rule that bars tens of thousands from receiving subsidised grain.

Samut Songkhram has launched a durian auction with a starting price for Bt1,500 to raise funds for breakfast and dinner preparation for 825 underprivileged kindergarten children and primary pupils at 26 schools.